Airborn

Bruce, hiding in the trees, calls out to Matt. He reports that he attempted to find Matt and Kate after the cloud cat attack but saw them waylaid by pirates. He returned to the Aurora, slowed by his injured leg, and arrived just in time to see Szpirglas and his crew tie up the Aurora crew. They scheme how to rescue the hostages without being killed. Matt is shocked at Kate’s insistence that they will have to kill the pirates first. She plots to sneak up on them, strike them over the head, and steal their guns. Matt advocates for another plan; he does not think he could shoot anyone, not even a murderous pirate. Bruce and Matt quibble over who should be in charge. Bruce claims his higher rank is more important than Matt’s years of experience on the ship.

Matt suggests another way: he will sneak to his cabin to fetch his keys, then lure pirates to different cabins and bays and lock them in, using his intimate knowledge of the Aurora to avoid detection. They creep to the rear tail fin and climb inside, though Bruce struggles to do so with his injured leg. When they inspect the injury, it shows signs of infection.